Juventus v Brescia, Cologne v Bayern and more: European clockwatch – live! | Football

Full-time at Aberdeen, where Celtic have edged to a hard-fought win and taken a pretty big step towards a faintly ludicrous ninth successive title. Rangers really, really need a win at Livingston this afternoon to keep their hopes even vaguely alive.

That didn’t take long. Ajax go 1-0 up against rock-bottom Waalwijk thanks to a Dusan Tadic penalty on 13 minutes. Helluva penalty, too: thumped fiercely into the top corner. Their six-point lead at the top is re-established (for now).

And speaking of former Premier League no-hopers, ex-Liverpool waif Suso scored his first goal for Sevilla earlier today, a late equaliser in a 2-2 draw at home to Espanyol. He’s turned into quite the handy playmaker since leaving Anfield:

Kristoffer Ajer has produced a cool finish to put Celtic 2-1 up at Aberdeen. A win there would take them a stinking 13 points clear of second-placed Rangers, albeit having played two games more.

The afternoon’s first Huge Goal comes from the Turkish Super Lig, where Trabzonspor have gone ahead against Sivasspor, and in so doing leapfrogged their opponents and Istanbul Basaksehir to the top of the table. The scorer? That would be former Crystal Palace no-hoper Alexander Sorloth, who seems to have emphatically learned how to hit a cow’s arse with a banjo: having scored zero goals in 16 Premier League games has now scored 16 in 19 for Trabzonspor.

Ahead of that Man City-Ipswich FA Cup tie, here’s the estimable Nick Ames on the visitors who are chasing “the biggest upset ever”:

Gather round! Don’t tell Manchester City, but right now Europe is where the fun’s at. In lieu of a title race – or indeed much football at all – in the Premier League, this weekend brings us the latest neck-and-neck japes from two countries who have become used to their top divisions becoming the sort of repetitive procession currently besmirching the English top flight.

Serie A’s scramble for top spot, which was already a close-run thing, was blown even further open last weekend when, first, Cristiano Ronaldo and chums fell to a shock defeat at Hellas Verona, and then Romelu Lukaku led Inter to a four-goal comeback win in the Milan derby to leapfrog Juventus into first place on goal difference. Juve can banish that memory, at least for the few hours until Inter play, with a result against Brescia: a point will be enough for the winners of the last eight titles to reclaim top spot. At the other end of the table, Sampdoria and Fiorentina face off in a game that has the distinct look of a six-pointer. (Kickoffs 2pm GMT)

Over in Germany, meanwhile, the game of musical chairs between Leipzig and Bayern Munich continued yesterday when the fizz drink-funded upstarts saw off Werder Bremen 3-0 to take back first place from the side against whom they played out a fraught goalless draw with last weekend. But the Bundesliga’s establishment club can reverse that today – though do to so they’ll have to see of Cologne, who have won four of their last five. (Kickoff 2:30pm)

And that not all – out-of-form Lyon take on Strasbourg in Ligue 1 (2pm), rock-bottom Leganés play not-entirely-safe Betis in La Liga (1pm), while I’m sure you’re aware that their are crucial fixtures in the Turkish, Swiss, Dutch and Cypriot title races. As well as three Women’s FA Cup games that haven’t fallen victim to Storm Dennis (2pm), not least fourth-tier Ipswich’s trip to play holders Manchester City – who’ll be doing their best to ensure that Europe is where all the fun is at.